A Mammoth Waste of Time

By Peter Tyson

Posted 07.01.08

NOVA scienceNOW

When it comes to figuring out all you can about an extinct mammoth and its world from its remains, there's nothing like a good piece of poop. It may not look like much, but to a paleoecologist it's a priceless gem. In this slide show, have a look at what a single chunk of dung revealed about its maker as well as about the mammoth's diet, habitat, even the climate in which it lived 22,000 years ago.